The City of Aurora, in partnership with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Illinois State Representative Barbara Hernandez, D-Aurora, and Semper Fi Land Services Incorporated, is set to host a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday, August 12 at 1 P.M. to commemorate the start of the historic Mastodon Lake Dredging and Shoreline Restoration Project.
The Lake is a well-known and frequently visited portion of Aurora’s Phillips Park. During an excavation project sponsored by the Federal government’s Civil Works Administration in 1934, workers found several American mastodon bones within the body of water. These artifacts, which include an 188-pound skull, a six-foot-long tusk, and a 92-pound lower jaw, are estimated to be between 10,000 and 20,000 years old and are currently on display at the Mastodon Gallery within the Phillips Park Visitor Center.
The groundbreaking event comes on the heels of the City receiving a $4 million grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to help clear sediment and decaying organic matter at the bottom of the Lake. State Rep. Hernandez played a pivotal role in securing the grant funding, which will alleviate the cost of the project on the City’s stormwater management fund. The project is expected to greatly beautify the Lake and promote additional recreational activity both in the Lake and on Mastodon Island.
A local veteran-owned contractor, Semper Fi Land Services Incorporated, will be performing the work on the Lake, which will include a complete reshaping of the bottom of the Lake, creation of stone access points for visitors, installation of aeration fountains and directional circulators, and plantings that will filter runoff into the Lake. The Lake’s shoreline would also be stabilized, helping to mitigate erosion and create cleaner, more accessible entry points to the water with stabilized limestone outcroppings. Semper Fi will also construct a four-to-seven-acre urban filter strip, which will assist in filtering stormwater that moves through the area, which will improve the Lake’s water quality. Additional work at the Lake is set to involve the creating of emergent wetlands through 10,000 plantings, the development of micro-pools to establish more depth at certain areas to encourage water flow, and the installation of mechanical aerators, which will move water to prevent stagnation.
Discussions to improve the historic site have been ongoing since 2019, as City officials initially engaged HR Green Inc. to develop a master plan for Mastodon Lake. The City’s Public Works Department and Parks and Recreation Division have since worked with consultants to formalize the scope of the project and chart out a plan to fund it.
“Mastodon Lake is such an important piece of Aurora’s history,” Mayor John Laesch said. “I am appreciative of City staff’s work on this project, along with the support of State Rep. Hernandez, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, and Semper Fi. We are looking forward to seeing Mastodon Lake restored, while continuing to attract visitors from across Aurora and beyond.”
For more information on Phillips Park and Mastodon Lake, please visit www.aurora.il.us/PhillipsPark.
EVENT DETAILS
WHAT: Mastodon Lake Dredging and Shoreline Restoration Project Groundbreaking
WHEN: Wednesday, August 12 at 1 P.M.
WHERE: 1000 Ray Moses Drive, Aurora, IL 60505